Biblical Archaeology 26: Baruch Bulla

Jeremiah 36:1-2 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. 2 “Get a scroll. Write on it everything I have told you to say about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now. … 4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the Lord had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. (NET)

In 1975 approximately 200 clay bullae turned up in the hands of a Palestinian antiquities dealer. One of those bullae (measuring 0.67” x 0.63”) contained an inscription in Paleo-Hebrew on three lines: “Belonging to Berechiah (Baruch) son of Neriah the scribe.” Berechiah is the name Baruch with the abbreviated divine name (yah) attached at the end. The bulla is dated to the late 7th or early 6th century BC.

A second bulla with an identical inscription surfaced in 1996. Both were made from the same seal. Interestingly, the second seal contained a fingerprint on the upper left corner. While we cannot be certain, perhaps this is the fingerprint of Baruch himself.

We’ve even discovered the seal of Baruch’s brother, Seraiah. The seal reads, “Belonging to Seraiah (ben) Neriah.” Seraiah is named as the chief chamberlain in the court of King Zedekiah, and is said to have accompanied Zedekiah into captivity in Babylon. According to Jeremiah 59:59-64, Jeremiah gave Seraiah a written prophecy to read aloud in Babylon upon his arrival, predicting the downfall of Babylon. Once finished, he was instructed to tie it to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River, typifying how Babylon would sink and rise no more.

Significance:

This confirms the existence of Baruch, and the accuracy of the Biblical account.

The guy who transcribed the book of Jeremiah made this bulla using his own seal!